The global hemp industry is re-developing at an amazing pace.
As the recent symposia in Vancouver and Frankfurt demonstrated,
tremendous advances are being made with respect to hemp breeding,
cultivation, harvesting, processing, and marketing. Unfortunately,
the United States' prohibition on marijuana prevents the residents
of the land of the free from fully realizing the environmental
and economic benefits of low THC, or "industrial", hemp.
The Federal Government will not allow farmers to grow industrial
hemp because of its association with marijuana (both plants are
Cannabis Sativa L.). Industrial hemp bills in several states have
been defeated as a result of testimony from federal law enforcement
agents (i.e., the DEA) who incorrectly insist that industrial
hemp is indistinguishable from marijuana. These officials remain
willfully ignorant of the fact that low THC hemp is being successfully
cultivated without incident in Europe, Asia, and Canada.

Canada's hemp industry has an advantage over America's in that
Canadian farmers are each allowed to grow a few acres of hemp
for research purposes. However, the hemp/marijuana connection
results in a lengthy application process which includes a background
check, paperwork delays, hassles over importing viable seeds,
and field security concerns. These bureaucratic obstacles are
enough to dishearten all but the most determined hempster. It
is therefore understandable that many people involved with growing
or researching hemp in Canada do not want to be associated with
individuals, groups, or publications which can be construed as
advocating the end of marijuana prohibition. This situation translates
to America as some groups working to re-legalize hemp attempt
to disassociate themselves from the marijuana activists. This
is ironic because many of the North Americans involved in the
current industrial hemp revolution, be they retailers, wholesalers,
producers, researchers, or farmers are aware of (or have personally
experienced) the negative aspects associated with marijuana prohibition.
They see the billions of tax payer dollars spent each year tracking
down, arresting, adjudicating and incarcerating non-violent adult
cannabis consumers as a national crisis. However, if hempsters
publicly voice their opinions, the drug warriors are only too
happy to use this to illustrate their theory that legalizing hemp
is but a first step toward the total legalization of all cannabis
products, especially marijuana. They will claim that the hemp
advocates are really wolfish cannabis activists sheepishly hiding
in hempen clothing. In some cases, it may therefore be appropriate
to keep the rope and dope issues separate.

Prohibitionists simply cannot accept the fact that, when used
responsibly, marijuana's effects are innocuous. While they sip
their manhattans and smoke their cigarettes, the concept of legalizing
marijuana represents a diametrically opposed philosophy to these
zero tolerance hypocrites. Reintroducing industrial hemp to the
populace may be the best way to begin the "un-brainwashing"
process. The monetary considerations for farmers, manufacturers,
and consumers coupled with the environmental benefits such as
tree free paper and lowered dependence on fossil fuels will undoubtedly
convince people that hemp is good. Then, as they learn of the
medicinal and spiritual properties of cannabis, they may be ready
to once again grant adults the right to partake in it without
automatically becoming felons.